Smena 8M - Unexpected Rewards from an Old Plastic Toy

I must admit I was somewhat skeptical when I ordered my Smena 8m; it was my first jaunt into the lomographic world. Would it really work – considering it is a vintage toy camera from the Soviet Republic? Would the pictures be any good? Could I figure out how to use it?

To my surprise the camera works flawlessly, and can take a wide range of pictures. I expected to mainly get somewhat fuzzy images with that typical lomographic blur, but the Smena is capable of taking stunningly clear images as well. The icon based focusing system printed on the camera makes it easy for anyone to pick it up and figure out how to focus. The flip down lever to cock the shutter is something I have come to love as is the strange noise produced when a picture is taken. I have never had any issues with the camera and am quite pleased with quality of the pictures is takes.

I also love the Smena because it uses readily available 35mm film, and preforms excellently on the cheap drug-store variety as well as on higher professional grade film. I recommend anything with 400 ISO for use in a variety of situations.

I also own a Colorsplash Flash and have had loads of fun taking pictures with it attached to the Smena via a PC Flash Adapter.

I would highly recommend the Smena 8m as one of the most versatile lomographic cameras available! It was my first analog camera and was amazed and the pictures I was able to produce with my first roll of film. Saturated color, clear, blured, double exposured, high grain, low grain, dark, over exposed – the Smena can take practically any type of image you can think of.

The included images are a sampling from numerous rolls and adventures taken by my Smena and me.

More Interesting Articles

The original Diana F is a plastic beauty from 1960s Hong Kong. The Diana F+ is a reinterpretation, which is in no way inferior to the old Diana. It´s so versatile with all the optional accessories and lenses like no other lomography camera. And because of this, I will show you what makes this camera so special.

Unfortunately, it happens sometimes that your resulting pictures are not what you expected - the image doesn't look that good, the colors are bland, and the subject is banal. Indeed, it couldn't be picture of the year! Herein I propose a second chance for your pictures by modifying your 35mm negatives. Just pick up some ideas from here, experiment, and scan your negatives with the Lomography Smartphone Scanner. Anything is possible: burning, scratching, putting on hydrochloric acid, balsamic vinegar, nail polish, bleach, or raspberry juice... use your imagination and write down your new film soup recipe! You can find a sample of the effects in this article.

Before the end of 2014, my girlfriend took the plunge of purchasing a rangefinder camera from eBay as a late Christmas gift for me. Let me present to you: the Fed 5. The Fed 5 has been known as a copy of the Leica M3 rangefinder camera. It is inexpensive compared to Leica models. So what are my experiences of using the Fed 5? Read on to find out more.

Keep experimenting with your analogue shots and try out many different styles. This time, let these filter photographs from the community show you how easy it is to create images that are popping with effects and color!

Light painting is such an intriguing and fascinating technique. Using your Lomo'Instant, you can actually use common household objects to create stunning and colorful light painted pictures while having lots of fun!

Matthieu Soudet is a child of photography. He started shooting in his native Normandy when he was only nine years old. Since then, he has dedicated his life to capturing magical moments and puts his boundless creativity to good use through beautiful pictures and portraits. He tested the New Petzval Art Lens tells us about his experience in this exclusive interview.

This is an introduction to using a candle flame to manipulate and distort your negatives. This process results in melted, stretched, and twisted images with colour shifts. Proceed with caution there is no going back.

Every year my city Como hosts, for the Easter period, a great fun fair. This is a great occasion to test a camera, to make experiments with films, to have fun and to photograph people while also having fun! This year, I used my gem, the wonderful Horizon Perfekt (that I bought from the Lomography Online Shop) loaded with a timeless film, a Kodak Tri-X 400 developed, as usually for b/w, by myself. Read more after the jump!

Behind the amusing username, alienmeatsack, is the avid lomographer Robn Kester. He takes on the analogue world with his radical film and camera experiments that serve as useful guides to his fellow film shooters. His dedication to be a better analogue photographer certainly knows no bounds and that's why we are crowning him as our LomoGuru of the Week!

A lot of lomographers have experienced using and even writing about the greatness of the Lomography Earl Grey black and white 35mm ISO 100 film. However, no one has written about using an expired Earl Grey film yet. How does it fare when it is used expired? Read on to find out more.

As Steve Jobs puts it, "creativity is just connecting things." It's all about tracing one's experiences and pushing the boundaries of what's already known to establish new things. The Lomography community is no stranger to these instances. In fact, the community is filled with brilliant minds who are always ready to refine existing techniques and look for innovative ways to express their visions and ideas. Here are just a few of the creative lomographers we've come to love over the years.

This is a tribute to a great Austrian sports photographer, Lothar Rübelt. In an era with no high speed films available, he was able to immortalize wonderful moments in sports - from diving to gymnastics and football. In creating this tribute, I took a series of photos of an amateur football match using expired black and white film developed using an uncommon chemical. Take a look after the jump!